Pope Francis giving Pato a blessing at Casa Santa Marta at the end of their meeting
By Vatican News
Nov 11 2023
Pope Francis meets with Pato, a migrant from Cameroun who lost his wife Matyla and child Marie in the desert between Libya and Tunisia last July.
The Holy See Press Office noted that on Friday afternoon at Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis met with Mbengue Nyimbilo Crepin (known as Pato), accompanied by Fr Mattia Ferrari, who serves as chaplain to Mediterranea Saving Humans, also assisting them in many rescue missions. The meeting included a group of migrants, those working for organizations assisting refugees, as well as Cardinal Michael Czerny, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
The comunique to journalists recalled that Pato lost his wife and six-year-old daughter in July this year after being stopped and returned to the desert between Libya and Tunisia by Tunisian authorities. Pope Francis listened to his moving and tragic story, while also hearing about the harrowing accounts of the thousands of people who suffer as they attempt to reach Europe.
The group expressed their gratiude for the Pope’s welcome to them. In particular, the comunique notes, David from South Sudan engaged in assisting prisoners in detention camps in North Africa, thanked the Pope for his encouragement and speaking out on behalf of migrants. He said, “You not only offer us a dream, you welcome us.”
After hearing their stories, Pope Francis in greeting them spoke to Pato saying that he “prayed so much” for his wife and daughter. He thanked them all for their commitment, while recalling that being born in places where one can study and work is a privilege. “Privilege is a debt,” he said and “what you do is not something more, it is a duty.”
Finally, before bidding farewell, the Pope prayed for those present, asking the Lord to watch over those who “work on behalf of others,” on those unable to arrive, people in detention camps, and “the many, many who are suffering.” – Vatican News
